Apprentices

[Auchenai]

Inhale.


Exhale.


Inhale.


Exhale.


Marcus was not afraid to admit that he vastly preferred the company of his own thoughts to those of others, the logical island that he had created for himself. Meditation was a soothing exercise of relaxation, one that he had found that not too many of his fellows engaged in. Introspection was an important part of life, understanding the pieces of one’s own self that they could better understand the world around them. Like a blade that needed a whetstone, Marcus’ mind needed meditation in order to keep his mental discipline and the shackles on his abilities in place.


The man sat on the bed in his room, his body suspended above it by the latent power of his telekinesis as an unconscious reaction. Marcus was a rather weak telekinetic compared to others really; only with a calm mind could he effectively use it. His true strength was as a telepath, in the realm of the mind that went unseen by most. It was a power that he made use of only on the rarest of circumstances outside of specialized training, given the very invasive and personal nature of the magic. Power like that was nothing to be taken lightly, at least that was what his master enforced in his mind again and again.


After a few more moments of his meditation the young man allowed himself to drop onto his bed, opening his eyes and standing slowly. The man was rather ragged looking, his clothing especially. He suspected that he’d likely need to shave today, rising up his hand and stroking a slight stubble that darkened his chin. He frowned, not enjoying the course and rough feeling of bristled hair against his skin. He was definitely going to shave, though not at the moment. For now he should probably wake up his compatriot if she was not already awake.


His boots caused the rough wooden floor of his room to creak as they always did, the young man swinging open his door easily. He placed his hands in his sleeves and held them out before him as he crossed the hall to the door opposite his. If his fellow apprentice was not up already then he had no doubt that she would be very soon. Part of him wanted to loosen some of the mental shackles on his mind to check if she was indeed awake or asleep, but it was cast out immediately. Not only would it be invasive, but reading even the surface thoughts of a dreaming mind could be more than a little dangerous.


“Ellie? I believe it’s time we headed down stairs. No doubt the master has a lesson for us today.” Marcus called out from behind the door, rapping his knuckle lightly on the wood.

 

[Raerae]

Dimly lit coal colored chambers, cold stone walls, rubble covered flooring, overgrowth in the cracks and crevices, cob webs in the ceilings corners with the silhouettes of widows and wolf spiders. Violet flames line up along the walls, apparently lighting themselves as a hooded figure leisurely wanders the corridors that seemingly go on forever. His calmness is intriguing considering the urgency in the atmosphere. He's here with unpredictable intentions, and leads previously buried, skeletal beings behind him, ones that mindlessly follow as the incantation leaves them unable to express free will.


Once they turn a corner, another, shorter, hallway appears, leading to two, grand doors chained and sealed with an indigo hue around the frames. An oppression awaits release from behind them, you can feel it, like water building up just waiting to explode once the doors are opened. He whispers foreign words, waves his hands and behind him the undead grumble in awe, decaying jaws wide as the purple begins to fade and the pressure it'd been cast to retain swells to its fullest.


She watches from afar, but feels herself drawn closer it of curiosity. But one wrong step and she's scuffed the ground with her boot, covering her mouth to keep from gasping fearfully as the sounds of crackling bones join the mumbled spells of the hooded figure, surely she'd gotten their attention. She looks around but sees nothing beside her, she turns but there was only darkness behind her; though upon returning her attention to those giant doors, instead all she sees are the black sockets of an angered skeleton blazing back at her.


"Εσείς δεν θα περάσει!" (You shall not pass!)





Elizabeth woke up with a gasp, feeling her heart beat like a drum in her chest, and the warm tingles of adrenaline scale her arms, jaw line and cheeks. She rubbed her eyes and tried to leveled her breathing, suddenly frustrated she'd had yet another, ridiculous nightmare. She'd only just caught her breath when she'd heard the familiar voice of Marcus behind her door, never had she been so relieved to have a reason to get up.


"Just a minute!" She called, and spent the next five minutes freshening up, dressing in her usual white satin robe, combing her fine sienna locks, slipping on her shoes and then cracking the door opening, covering mouth to stifle a soft yawn before greeting her companion with a sleepy, ghost of a smile, she was obviously weary.


"Thanks for waking me, I'd have been trapped in that dream if you hadn't," She said with a bit of a laugh, but was discreetly serious about that. "...How've you been this morning?"